The majority of computer usages for end-users connect the end-user to the Internet, and occur through a browsing interface. Common usages and activities include, for example, search engine based browsing, email, social networking, content consumption (e.g., news article and video viewing), content sharing (e.g., photos, music, etc), online shopping and purchasing, and maps and directions, just to name a few. Such common Internet usages generally entail some form of user-based navigation, such as that typically done with a mouse or touchpad and a keyword.
In effort to improve the user navigation experience, gesture-based navigation techniques have arisen. In particular, user hand movements can be recorded by a so-called webcam and translated into pointer movements. A typical gesture-based navigation application that operates in conjunction with the webcam is able to emulate the actions that are usually performed with a regular mouse or a touchpad: clicks, double-clicks, drags and scrolls. A user may also use head movements to control the computer or otherwise effect navigation. There are two basic methods for implementing human-body gesture using cameras: gestures using objects with so-called markers (where markers deployed in the field of view interact with the camera sensor), and markerless gestures (such as markerless hand gestures). Markerless gesture techniques can be implemented using either three-dimensional or 3D cameras (with Z-depth) which are typical for observation distances in the range of about 3 to 5 meters (m), or two-dimensional or 2D cameras (interpreting 3D motions from 2D information) which are typical for observation distances in the range of about 0.5 m.
Graphics processing in a computing environment such as a desktop computer or workstation, laptop or tablet, or game console generally entails a number of complex operations. Such operations include, for example, those with respect to ensuring that images are properly and timely rendered, as well as those with respect to gesture recognition. There are a number of non-trivial issues that arise in the context of such operations.